A meter and a half in secondary education is 'hard work'

Tekst Webredactie - 14 januari 2021 - 5 Minuten om te lezen

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Just like millions of others, Kim van Strien watched the press conference the day before yesterday, where Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated that students in secondary education should also keep a distance of XNUMX meters from each other. This concerns the students who still come to school, of which the exam students form the largest group.

The next day at Van Strien's school, it was immediately decided to set the tables in the classrooms one and a half meters apart. Where the students remarked that here and there there was a few centimeters too little space in between, but hey: you have to do what, as a school.

You can ask mavo-4 if they would please go to work independently, but that is not very useful

It is also an interim solution. Next Monday, the classes will be split, with students from one class divided over two classrooms. Then Van Strien walks back and forth, or she teaches the students in the other classroom via Teams.

“The timetable makers are working very hard to give each teacher two classrooms next to or opposite each other,” says Van Strien. A problem with this is that supervision must also be present in the extra room. "You can ask MAVO-4 if they would like to go to work independently, but that is not very sensible." At her school, just like in many other schools, gym teachers are employed as supervisors.

Janitors

Furthermore, the one and a half meter rule also applies outside the classrooms. Van Strien: “The caretakers lug around tables and chairs to ensure that students can keep a distance of one and a half meters during lunch as well. Really, everyone is working really hard. ”

The latter applies to more schools, according to regional newspapers. For example, director Frans van der Knaap of the Walcheren Christian School Community in Middelburg was busy puzzling yesterday, reports Broadcaster Zeeland. "The classrooms are too small to put everyone five feet apart." Dividing students over two classrooms? 'Then I don't have enough teachers.' Alternately homeschooling? 'Graduates and disadvantaged students should come to school.'

Van der Knaap finds it especially annoying for his students. 'Until now, the school has been a nice place for them, without having to take that one and a half meter into account at all. It's unnatural to them. '

We have to divide the classes into three to guarantee the one and a half meters

Rector Henk Keijman of Maaswaal College Wijchen explains in the Gelderlander that the division of classes at his school will be completed tomorrow. 'We have to divide the classes into three to be able to guarantee the meter and a half. We now have all the classrooms in use for this. '

The exam students of Pontes Pieter Zeeman in Zierikzee will only receive online lessons for the next three weeks, according to the Provincial Zeeuwse Courant'We know from experience in the first lockdown that another half meter of space between students is in fact impossible,' says rector Peter van der Gaag. "Still in class, but it doesn't work during breaks and outside in the schoolyard."

Improvise

Tabor College Hoorn is considering dividing education in a different way, says chairman Hans Nijdeken Noordhollands Dagblad. 'We are thinking of splitting classes and having them come to school alternately in the morning and afternoon. It will improvise.'

Arnhem schools are also improvising, De Gelderlander reports. Where possible, a choice is made to split up classes. 'Sometimes a teaching assistant helps, sometimes the teachers jump back and forth between the classrooms,' says Rector Maarten van de Louw of the Olympus College in Arnhem South. And the gym will be set up to be able to take tests.

Digital

At Comenius College in Hilversum, the exam students only have online lessons this week. 'We need time to organize this properly,' says rector Robert van der Sijde in the Throw and Eemlander. 'That is why we decided on Tuesday evening to fall back on digital education for now.'

Are the exams still feasible under these circumstances? There make a lot AObmembers are concerned about

And all involved wonder how things should continue after February 9. The prevailing opinion is: it is impossible for all students to return to school with a space of XNUMX meters apart. So what then? 'Then we end up in the same situation as before the summer. Where only one third of the class is present at school and the rest follows the lesson online at home, 'says rector Van der Sijde in de Gooi- en Eemlander. “I can tell you, those were the worst weeks of the school year. Very difficult for teachers and restless for students. We really don't want to go back to that. '

Lockdown

Rector Henk Keijman of Maaswaal College Wijchen also does not want to go back to the situation of the first lockdown, when some of the students were taught online and some at school. "We did that before the summer," he says in the Gelderlander, 'and we really want to stay far from that. It does not benefit the continuity and quality of education. Then we would rather have complete online education. '

Final exams

The quality of education is also a major concern AObdriver Van Strien. “Corona creates chaos. And despite the fact that everyone works extremely hard to limit the damage, we still always compromise on the quality of education. The students are simply not getting the education they should be getting. Are the exams still feasible under these circumstances? I get questions from many members about this: everyone is really concerned. ”

Read also 'Staff give a lot of physical lessons, a quarter feel unsafe'

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